Design, Test and Apply a Custom Certificate Background – Booking Rooster

Overview

Certificate backgrounds act as a base layer. All certificate details (student name, course, qualification, dates, etc.) are automatically applied by Booking Rooster.

The specifications below are recommended guidelines to ensure your certificates display and print correctly. While some flexibility is possible, deviating from these guidelines may create layout conflicts.

These apply to all custom certificates except Competenz Certificates which have more limitations and the backgrounds needed to print directly on an NZTA form.

1. File Requirements

Your background file should meet the following:

File type: PNG saved at 300dpi
Orientation: Landscape or Portrait

Landscape

1104 x 780 px
Margins 36px
Header area 120-160px

Portrait

780 x 1104 px
Margins 36px
Header area 120-160px

⚠️ Using sizes outside these ranges may affect how your certificate displays or prints.

2. Layout Structure

Your design should follow this structure:

Page Edge
→ Print-safe Margin (blank)
→ Available Design Area (e.g. borders, header styling)
→ Content Area (auto-filled)

3. Safe Areas & Dimensions

Print-safe Margin (Recommended)

36px on all sides
Should remain completely blank
Helps prevent content being cut off during printing

Available Design Area

This is the space where you can place design elements such as:

Borders (on any or all sides)
Lines, shapes, or background styling
Header styling

Guidance:

Recommended border thickness: 40–60px
Borders can be used on any or all sides
Keep designs clean and not overly busy

Header Area

Height: 120–160px
Located near the top of the certificate within the design area

Use this space for:

Logo
Branding elements

📌 You may visually blend header styling with any top border if used

Content Area (Auto-filled)

This central area is reserved for system-generated content.

This may include:

Certificate title
Student name
Course name
Qualification details
Trainer name
Trainer signature
Authoriser name
Authoriser signature
Dates
Certificate number
Any required organisation or accreditation ID numbers

🚫 Do not place any design elements in this area

4. Important Flexibility Note

These specifications are guidelines, not strict limitations.

Some users may find they can utilise additional space by reducing or avoiding certain layout areas (such as borders or header space).

⚠️ However, this approach is risky:

Additional fields or data may be added to certificates in future
Other users in your organisation may enable more content
This can cause text to overlap with your design

👉 For best results, always design with the full content area preserved and clear

5. Visual Layout Reference

Refer to the diagram provided for:

Print-safe margins
Available design area
Header area
Auto-filled content area
Pixel measurements for each zone

6. Design Best Practices

✔ Recommended

Clean, simple borders or edge designs
Subtle textures or solid colours
Branding kept toward the top of the design
High contrast for readability

✖ Avoid

Full background images
Busy or detailed patterns
Design elements in the content area
Low-contrast colours

7. Watermarks

Watermarks in the content area are not recommended.

If used:

Test carefully in your staging environment
Ensure they do not interfere with readability or printed output

8. Print Considerations

Default print colour is black
Ensure:
- Design elements remain visible when printed
- Colours do not rely on very light tones

If using custom print colours:

Check contrast and legibility carefully

9. How to Add a New Certificate Background

Step 1: Upload the Background Image

Log in to your staging or live site
Go to Organisation
Select Qualifications
Click Certificate Backgrounds

Then:

a. Click Choose File
b. Enter a Name
c. Click Apply to upload the background

Step 2: Apply the Background to a Certificate

Go to Certificates